2012 NASCIO Recognition Submission
NEBRASKA STATEWIDE RADIO SYSTEM
The Forefront of Modern Communication
Category: Cross-Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships
Nebraska Office of the Chief Information Officer
….leading the way
Mike Jeffres
Public Safety Communications System Manager
Office of the Chief Information Officer
501 South 14th Street, 68508
P.O Box 95045
Lincoln, Nebraska
Phone: (402) 471-3791
Fax: (402) 471-3414
State of Nebraska
Project Initiation: February 19, 2010
Project Completion: January 21, 2011
Executive Summary
On September 11, 2001, 121 firefighters were lost as vital information to
evacuate failed to be heard by rescuers in the North building of the World Trade
Centers, according to Emergency Management Magazine editor Chad Vander Veen.
Although the 9/11 attacks attested the unity of our Nation, it also served as an outcry
demanding interoperable communications. And so the question stood, what would
happen if an event such as this had occurred at “home”, in Nebraska. Through the
leadership of Governor Heineman, in 2008 Nebraska was proactive and proceeded with
plans to implement a statewide radio system (SRS) that would allow for interoperability
among emergency responders.
For years Nebraska saw a need for an updated radio system. Nebraska State
Patrol (NSP) and Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) relied on outdated radio
equipment, up to 50 years old, and experienced dead-spots, radio interference, and
lacked interoperability with other emergency responders. A partnership was formed
between the Office of the CIO (OCIO) and NPPD to address this need and they
successfully joined together as partners for the statewide radio system network.
Starting in the western most part of the state, the Statewide Radio System
consists of 51 towers covering 77,000 miles and is currently serving 12 state agencies
as well as the NPPD. The Motorola APX portable multiband radio features an LED
screen display for text messaging, a 1 watt-loud audio speaker, a GPS receiver, and an
emergency button for emergency responders.
Although cost was a huge deciding factor for Nebraska, benefits such as
increased communication efficiency and reliability, improved response time,
expandability, and increased security with encrypted talk groups, have proven to be
money well spent.
The Statewide Radio System has received a great amount of support from
Governor Dave Heineman, Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy, and the Nebraska
Legislature.
“The mission of the Nebraska State Patrol is to exemplify our values by providing the
highest quality of law enforcement and service to the citizens. Through innovation and
cooperation, we strive to promote and maintain the spirit of teamwork that is the
tradition of the NSP.”
“Nebraska Public Power District…Always there when you need us.”
2012 Nebraska Statewide Radio System NASCIO Award Submission
Cross-Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships
Statewide Radio System
Business Problem and Solution
Problem
Former State Patrol Colonel Bryan Tuma best summarized the problem and
solution by stating, “In my career when I started working in Law Enforcement, our radio
system was much less complicated. In fact it was so easy to operate it just had one
switch – an F1 and an F2. So it was fairly simple and I suppose some people might
joke they had to make it simple for a reason so that we could operate it. When we talk
about the new statewide radio project, there are two things that really stand out in my
mind. One is certainly the advancements in technology and the capabilities that brings
to the public safety sector in Nebraska. The other issue would be to really look at the
business model and what that allows you to do in cost and efficiencies. If we look at the
new digital radio trunked system, no doubt in my mind that is going to be a far superior
system to what we are used to operating on which translates into officer safety and also
efficiencies in our operation. It is also important to take a look at the way that this
project was put together. Certainly the collaboration and partnerships that exist are
unprecedented. Nebraska sought another partner, NPPD, to help leverage the cost and
in fairness to the Nebraska taxpayer, why build out two statewide radio networks when
we can share one. The net long term benefit of all this is that we will have a radio
system where we can bring on additional users at a minimal expense and if we can
bring on additional partners that will drive down the cost per user. We believe it
represents a trend on how one should approach these projects and how they are built
out.”
The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) enforces the law and monitors public safety, on
over 10,000 miles of highways throughout Nebraska. For many years, this agency, as
well as the other State government public safety agencies, relied on an aged, outdated
low-band, analog radio system. Troopers experienced interference with the system,
encountered dead spots with very little or no radio coverage, and lacked interoperability
with other emergency responders. Over the years, many high profile crimes involving
multiple responders had anecdotally related information of using cellular telephones and
“signs” in cars to communicate on high speed chases or to coordinate response to
disasters. As late as the 1990s, Nebraska was struggling with the need for an updated
system.
The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) also battled concerns with radio
coverage in Nebraska. Unpredictable radio coverage created threats not only for the
public’s safety, but for the employees who were out in the field daily. Often times, NPPD
workers shut off their radios due to “skip” (radio interference from other states) and
background noise.
At the same time that both entities were looking to replace their radio system, the
country experienced a severe financial downturn. Both the State and NPPD were
looking to reduce the costs for a replacement system. Through the cooperative efforts
of the participating state agencies and NPPD, a decision was made for the two entities
to partner to build a new statewide radio system for first responders and utility workers.
This new partnership has offered the advantage of eliminating duplicate systems and
provides an additional layer of reliability. In 2007, both entities went forward to request
funding for the joint system. The Nebraska Legislature and Governor Dave Heineman
approved funding on the State side and the NPPD Board of Directors agreed to provide
the funding requested for their piece of the system. The system was to be literally
owned 50/50 by the State and NPPPD. In 2008, the joint entity progressed with plans
for the Statewide Radio System (SRS).
Solution
Nebraska is the only state with all public power companies. This laid the
groundwork for an ideal partnership as it eliminated many contractual and financial
barriers immediately. Obviously cost was a huge concern for Nebraska. Agencies could
not afford to construct their own radio systems individually. The Office of the CIO, NSP,
and NPPD built the statewide system in an effort to create consistent and clear radio
coverage.
As the state’s official dispatching resource for public safety agencies, it was clear
that the Nebraska State Patrol would be the pillar of an effective network for emergency
services. The Office of the CIO, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) and Nebraska Public
Power District (NPPD) were brought together as primary partners for a statewide
network. Instead of bringing in only the technical people, all agencies that would be
affected, including local government were included in the planning. A committee of
people from varying agencies worked together to create the proposal and evaluation
criteria as well as sitting in the oral presentations and evaluations. The investment in
time resulted in support from the users and the public. The committee picked the
technology that fit their needs. After this committee established a performance punch
list for a new solution—including a goal of 95 percent coverage—the vetting process led
to the selection of a Motorola statewide trunked system.
Key in the decision making process was the need to make an affordable
decision. For example, when NPPD priced its own infrastructure communications
system upgrade, they came up with an estimated $20 to $30 million compared to that of
$6.6 million when partnering together with the NSP and Office of the CIO. Furthermore,
Nebraska wanted to make certain that management control came locally and not from
the vendor. In 2008 Nebraska awarded the contract to Motorola and selected a
Motorola VHF statewide interoperable system.
The SRS, composed of four phases, began in the western quarter of the State.
The deployment moved east in 3 additional phases, with the fourth and final phase
activated in 2011. The Statewide System includes 51 towers covering 93 counties and
77,000 square miles. The system is currently serving Nebraska Game and Parks,
Nebraska Fire Marshal, Nebraska Department of Roads, Nebraska Department of
Corrections, Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, Lincoln County, as well as the
NSP and NPPD with approximately 2,000 active radios.
Concerns for the new radio system did not come directly from the functionality of
the system, but from within the agencies. The state recognized that the concerns might
not be over the technology but whether or not the users of the SRS could work in sync
with one another and if the differences in operations would cause a problem. A System
User Group was established very early into the deployment of the SRS to address these
concerns and has become an integral part to the on-going success of this partnership. It
is evident that the individual users work exceptionally well together. The paradigm shift
of the new technology was also a challenge. As the State Patrol said, individuals do not
become Troopers to learn new technology, but to protect and serve. The idea of
learning a completely new system with all new equipment caused some nervousness
for users of the system.
Significance to Improvements of Government Operations
Significance
The SRS currently covers 12 state agencies as well as NPPD, with room to
grow. The SRS’s purpose includes:
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To help protect the life, property, and emergency response of the people;
Provide reliable public safety radio communications;
Allow for communications across counties and jurisdictions;
Allow for information exchange in real time.
The SRS has played a crucial role in closing the communication gap between
agencies and local jurisdictions. The radio system has allowed state agencies and
public utilities to work together, on the same system and improve the communication.
This in turn allows for more effective, responsiveness and efficient calls for service. The
multiband capability has opened the doors to interoperability for NSP and NPPD that
was not available under the older system. This will allow the State to respond to urgent
calls with local agencies AND public power utilities to assist when necessary. Utility
workers and first responders are able to communicate more effectively in a state that
averages 57 tornadoes a year, causing numerous downed power lines and public
emergencies.
Another element of the new system that has enhanced communications is the
ability of Lincoln Troopers being able to use their radios and talk to Troopers in
Scottsbluff (405 miles away) with crystal clear connections. Audio is enhanced with 2microphone noise suppression and a 1-watt speaker allowing officers in noisy
environments to hear what is going on over the radio system.
Along with closing the communication gap and increasing the clarity of
communication, the Statewide Radio System offers a great number of benefits, all
resulting in increased services to the citizens.
Benefits
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Increase in communication efficiency and reliability;
Encrypted talk groups;
Better reaction time;
Affordability;
Expandable;
Elimination of 10-codes.
The SRS is more than just a radio. It is the enabler of effective and efficient
communication and it is in those crucial moments where effective communication can
be the deciding factor between life and death. The value of an individual’s life is not
measureable and the improvement in communication with the Statewide Radio System
will help assure the public that in those critical moments help will be on the way.
Governor Dave Heineman best summed it up when the project was kicked off by
stating, “This is a major milestone for Nebraska. Achieving interoperable
communication is one of our top priorities when it comes to emergency preparedness
and response. This is a perfect example of the collaboration that makes Nebraska a
national leader in emergency preparedness. It is Nebraska at its best.”